


tightrope

by Deanon



Category: Original Work
Genre: Dubious Science, Dubious biotechnology, M/M, Power Imbalance, mild body horror
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-29
Updated: 2019-08-12
Packaged: 2019-09-29 19:00:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17209121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deanon/pseuds/Deanon
Summary: There is a kind of self defense in learning to love a parasite.





	1. Chapter 1

_A gavel pounding in an already silent room. The shuffling sound of half a dozen people seating themselves. A pause._

 

_“We are here today on the matter of charges of academic dishonesty against a Mr. Bogdan Agohn.” A cough, some shuffling paper. “Is he here today?”_

 

_“I, er - yes, sir.”_

 

_“Right. Yes, I see you, no need to wave. Just for the record, you understand. And the accusations leveled against you are - er. Well, that is - “_

 

_“That his sexual relationship with me compromised the credibility of his final marks on his master’s thesis.”_

 

_Another cough, more pointed. Some shuffling papers. A nearly inaudible gasp, as of somebody who is so embarrassed that they would rather be dead._

 

_“Yes, Mr. Konstantine. Quite so.”_

 

* * *

 

 

In Bogdan’s final year of graduate school, he fell in love.

 

He also fucked up everything he’d ever worked for, destroyed the prospects of his dream career, and ended up with a thesis that wasn’t worth the paper it was printed on.

 

But he could explain.

 

It happened something like this.

 

* * *

 

 

It started - well. It started a lot of different places, possibly even before Bogdan was born, but for this story, the important part started when Artie Alderina accepted Ambra as an intern instead of Bogdan.

 

Her smile was hesitant as she shared the news over lunch. He bit the momentary sting, because he’d kind of known. He’d known ever since the interview, really. “Congratulations,” he said, and meant it.

 

“Thanks.” Ambra was grinning over a sandwich, her elbows resting on the table. They were at a place just off the campus of their school that the both of them got whenever their class schedules matched up and they both have a few dollars to spare (so, not that often). “Sorry, though, I know that you really wanted it.”

 

“No, it’s - “

 

“You would have been a really good fit,” Ambra assured him, “Artie really liked you too.”

 

He couldn’t help it; his heart jumped. “He said that?” Ambra’s face twisted, and Bogdan sat back into his chair. “Oh.”

 

“Bogdan - no, it’s not like that! Just - “

 

“Seriously, Ambra, it’s fine!” Bogdan laughed a little, and it didn’t even sound quite forced. “You don’t have to reassure me when you’re the one who should be celebrating! That’s awesome, their internship is an amazing fit for you. You’re gonna do great.”

 

“Thanks.” She settled back into her chair. “So, uh, it's not too soon to ask what you're going to be doing instead?"

 

"Right, um. So I have this interview - "

 

* * *

 

 

Artie' rejection was still fresh the next day, though, when he found himself outside of Fedya Konstantine’s office. He settled himself into the waiting room of the executive suite, suitcase at his feet, leg jiggling, and tried not to think about how _Artie_ , of all people, had rejected him, even when his line of research matched perfectly with what they were looking to develop, and why would he think that one of the best biotech companies in the world would want him as an intern, this was stupid -

 

“Bogdan,” Fedya Konstantine said, from the doorway. Bogdan stood up a little too fast, trying to get his breathing and throat and brain in order to greet him. “Good to see you again.”

 

“You - too,” Bogdan said, only a little breathless. He felt wrong-footed by the familiar greeting. “Mister Konstantine.”

 

“Come in.” He didn’t wait for Bogdan, just walked back into his office.

 

It had been years since he’d seen Fedya Konstantine. The executive of Pride Industries was technically a friend of the Agohn family - they had a holiday card from him every year, always on navy blue paper so deeply colored it was nearly black, and a Season’s Greetings in white calligraphy. Perhaps they’d been closer when Bogdan was much younger; he had memories of some awkward dinners at stuffy restaurants, of being restless at having to sit still and beings scolded every time he started bickering with Roksanna. His personal memories of Fedya involved crisp black fabric, and a deep voice that spoke as though Bogdan was not there at all.

 

He’d seen photos since then, of course - Fedya was an executive in a large corporation, and a chairman on the board of Bogdan’s own school, there’d been plenty of articles online - but somehow none of them had prepared him for Fedya being - well - hot. Sliced back blue-black hair, black eyes, manicured hands, a perfectly tailored suit. He looked rich, and powerful, and Bogdan had to impress him enough to land a job. Somehow, both kinds of tension twisted together and multiplied.

 

He conscious took a deep breath, steadied his hands, and followed Fedya into the office. By the time Bogdan had gathered his bag and slipped inside, he was back behind a large, modern desk. Artie’s office, last week, had been all warm woods and a fireplace, and a sill full of plants that Artie had been only too happy to talk about; the executive offices of Pride are opposite in almost every way. The walls and desk are glass; the shelves and floor are a wood so dark they’re nearly black, with metal accents and a black leather chair. It was hard to imagine a plant in this room.

 

“Sit down, Mr. Agohn.” Fedya gestured across his desk, and said nothing as Bogdan settled himself. Bogdan, for his part, tried hard to hold his hands steady under Fedya’s scrutiny. “How is your mother doing?”

 

“She’s - good,” Bogdan said, caught slightly off guard.

 

“Give her my best,” Fedya said. “It’s been quite a while since I’ve seen you. You’ve grown up well. I saw that you were studying genetic engineering?”

 

Unable to catch his footing during such an odd interview, Bogdan had to scramble for a second before answering. “Yes - genetic engineering in specifically plants.”

 

“Fascinating,” Fedya said, sounding a bit like it was anything but. The grin at the corner of his mouth took the sting out of the comment, though, and Bogdan found himself grinning back. “How applicable do you think that research will be to biotech? As you may know, we don’t do much with... plants... here.”

 

“Well,” Bogdan said, and reached down to take out a proposal that he’d typed up for this. “I was thinking, the technology we’re working with right now is essentially manipulating the hormones of plants - chemical signals which indicate the actions that we should take next, and many of _those_ tie to genetic markers. So biotech could accomplish basically the same things - monitoring hormone levels, stimulating production when certain benchmarks are reached - “

 

“Bogdan,” Fedya said, cutting him off. Bogdan swallowed the rest of his sentence and met Fedya's eyes against the desk. His expression was unreadable, but his gaze was steady on Bogdan's face, not even glancing down to the papers in his hands. He seemed to be looking for something in Bogdan's expression, but what, Bogdan couldn't even hope to guess. “Do you realize what it is that you’re suggesting here?”

 

“Um,” Bogdan said. He felt as though Fedya was leading him to an answer that he hadn't arrived at yet, and blinked down at his page as though it might reveal itself. “A… middle ground between genetic engineering and biotech?”

 

For a long moment, Fedya just looked at him silently. A glance down to the paper in his hands, and then further down Bogdan’s body, swept over him like a physical touch. “Yes,” Fedya said, finally, sounding distant. “That is one way of thinking about it.” His gaze moved back up to Bogdan’s eyes and held. “You can start on Monday.”

 

“Wh - “ The paper fluttered out of Bogdan’s hands. “I can - sorry, what? That was it?”

 

“I know about your research, Bogdan,” Fedya said. “I know _you_. You’re right for what we’re doing here, and your… innovative idea just proves that.” He stood up, reached out a hand. “Bring an ID and your best suit. I will be showing you off to our world renowned researchers; dress to impress.”

 

“Right,” Bogdan said, feeling overwhelmed. His own suit, by no means cheap, suddenly felt grungy; he didn’t have time to get a new one before Monday, but he could get this one tailored, at least. He accepted the handshake absentmindedly. “Uh, any research materials I should bring?”

 

“They’ll be provided.” Fedya grinned crookedly at him. “So eager to get to work for us, but I’m afraid there will be some red tape to get through first. Don’t worry, you’ll be working hard soon enough.”

 

He guided Bogdan out of the room with a hand on his shoulder, and the warmth of it sunk into his skin for the rest of the day.

 

* * *

 

 

“Pride industries?” Meryl said. She was on his kitchen counters (he kind of hated it when she did that), cross-legged and currently frowning at him. “You sure that’s a good idea?”

 

“It’s a really amazing opportunity,” Bogdan gushed. “I mean, there’s rumors about them, but everybody’s paraoid about biotech, right? That doesn’t mean that anything’s actually going on. I didn’t see anything.”

 

“I don’t think they’d exactly have it laying around the atrium,” Meryl said skeptically. “Seriously, they had that whole lawsuit last year, about unethical lack of disclosure with their experimental practices - “

 

“Fedya wasn’t involved in that, though,” Bogdan counters. “And he - “

 

“Can I have one of these?” Meryl grabs a beer from his counter and opens it without waiting for an answer. “Thanks. Look, Bogdan, I know you’re doing this because the company’s got a good reputation - “

 

“That makes me sound so shallow!”

 

“If the shoe fits….”

 

“Meryl!”

 

“Look. I’m just saying, they’re not good news.” She took a swig of the beer, and kicked her feet over the edge of the counter a little. “Just be careful, okay?”

 

* * *

 

 

He was careful.

 

For a little while, anyways.

 

The thing was, he’d had internships before. He’d had ones at research facilities and at his college, and at all of them, he’d been sort of… brushed off. He was smart enough, but not extraordinary, you know? Not someone who caught people’s eye, who got handed the top projects, who was called a “rising star”.

 

And then he got his internship at Pride.

 

The first week, Fedya dropped by Bogdan’s new desk in the research labs every day. Based on the lack of attention the rest of the staff paid to this, he figured it wasn’t unusual for him to be down there. There was no way he gave this much personal attention to every new hire, though, and the interest was heady. He asked smart questions, listened as Bogdan talked enthusiastically about his ideas, smiled indulgently as Bogdan pitched research projects that he knew were way outside Pride’s R&D budget just to see what he’d say.

 

At the time, Fedya had fallen silent. His arms had crossed, and Bogdan got a sinking feeling in his stomach, as though perhaps he’d crossed a line by getting too ambitious. He'd only been on the job for a few days, not even enough time to really get a feel for how the lab worked. “I’m sorry, I - “

 

“Don’t apologize,” Fedya said quietly. “You just - reminded me of someone.”

 

He left the lab without saying anything, and Bogdan choked on the desire to ask if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

 

* * *

 

 

He got called up to Fedya's office the next day. Entering it this time was much less intimidating; he knocked on the door with steady hands, and immediately got invited in. There were papers on the desk, and Fedya was sitting behind it, not even looking up at Bogdan as he entered. The jacket of his ever-present three piece suit had been draped over the back of his chair, and his sleeves were pushed up slightly. For a single, vivid moment, Bogdan imagined being the one to slide that jacket off his shoulders and felt a twist in his stomach.

 

“Bogdan,” Fedya greeted. “How are you liking things so far?”

 

“Good! We were able to wrap up an experiment this morning and I’ll be working on the preliminary data analysis this afternoon, but I glanced at it before coming up - “

 

“You’re very enthusiastic,” Fedya interrupted, but the smile took the sting out of it. “It’s a credit to our company. And to you.” His smile stayed intact as he watched a blush sweep through Bogdan’s entire body. “I called you up here to discuss the idea that you pitched yesterday.”

 

“Oh,” Bogdan said, with a sinking feeling. “I hope it wasn’t out of line - I know that kind of thing is way outside out budget right now. I just thought - “

 

“I just told you that your enthusiasm is an asset, didn’t I?” Fedya leaned forward at his desk. His forearms were still bare where they pressed against the glass. _This is the most undressed I’ve ever seen him_ , Bogdan thought, a bit hysterically. “I think it’s a good idea. I want to fund it.”

 

“You - what?” Almost against his will, Bogdan sat down in the chair. It put him on eye level with Fedya, so he could clearly see how serious his gaze was. “Really?”

 

“It’s an excellent opportunity. And given how… comprehensive your outline of it was yesterday, I think I would like you heading the project.” He said this so calmly, so casually, that the real _meaning_ of the words took a second to sink in.

 

“You want me… heading a new research project? One that’s double the - “ He momentarily lost his train of thought as Fedya smiled at him. “Y - you’re sure about that?”

 

“If you think you can’t handle it, Mr. Agohn- “

 

“I can handle it,” Bogdan said immediately, and almost as quickly began to doubt himself. He’d never handled _anything_ at this scale. But if Fedya was offering it to him - he’d make it work. “Of course I can.”

 

“I thought you might say that,” Fedya said, still smiling slightly. “Excellent. But, given that it is such an investment, there is something I would like you help with in return.” He leaned forward, holding his gaze across the desk. Bogdan wiped his palms on his suit. “Something which will require discretion.” His voice lowered. Deep eyes, a blue that looked black when backlit from the window, flicked quickly down to Bogdan’s lips. “Is that something I can count on from you, Mr. Agohn?”

 

 _Is this really happening_ ? Bogdan thought, followed immediately by, _is this what I want to happen_ ? Fedya was attractive, definitely, and his interest in Bogdan was flattering, and he _really_ wanted this project, but this was - this didn’t feel like the kind of thing that he should be doing to get it. On the other hand…. Bogdan’s eyes flicked again down to Fedya’s exposed wrists, his long fingers. His breath caught.

 

“Yes,” Bogdan said, feeling hypnotised. “Yes, of course.”

 

“Excellent.” Fedya pushed back from the desk abruptly, leaving Bogdan almost dizzy. They had been feet apart across the large desk, but even so Bogdan’s skin felt cold as Fedya turned away, fixed his sleeves, began putting his jacket back on. “Follow me. We should continue this conversation in the lab.” He pulled his phone out of a pocket - a sleek thing, all black glass - and quickly typed something into it.

 

They passed out of his office, past the reception, and into the elevators without comment. Bogdan felt the space between them like a physical thing, but he couldn’t tell from his sideways glances at Fedya whether he was feeling the same thing. The executive’s posture remained casual, unchanged even as Bogdan shifted and cast multiple glances his way. Had he imagined that entire thing in the office? Had he been reading into it?

 

He was taller than Fedya. He hadn’t noticed that before now; the desk somehow made him look taller, or perhaps just his presence.

 

They arrived at a floor far lower than anything Bogdan had yet visited. The walls were white, the glass so frosted that only diffused light passed through. Upstairs, the labs had hints as to their projects and contents on placards outside the door: Gene Induction, Reaction and Suitability, Gel Electrophoresis and Mapping. The doors down here had no placards, only discrete letters embossed next to the doors: A, B, C.

 

They entered the door labeled F. It was hard to tell, but the room felt smaller than the other labs they’d passed so far, and it was set up with an examination table, a rolling stand with a variety of sensors and readouts, and a computer with three separate screens. There wasn’t any of the genetics-focussed machinery that Bogdan was familiar with upstairs.

 

“Have a seat, Bogdan.” He gestured at the examination table, and walked over to the computer as Bogdan stepped up. The three screens displayed a desktop, a wall of text and charts, and a complex readout. “You know that Pride Industries has been experimenting with implantation.”

 

“Sure,” he said, slowly. “You demonstrated one of those implanted passkeys in Sweden last year.”

 

“You’re familiar with the work. Good.” Fedya walked over stood in front of him on the examination table; like this, their eyes were even with each other. “We are working on a new prototype, and I want you to be one of the first to try it.”

 

The implications of this, good and bad, clogged his throat for a moment. At Fedya’s steady gaze, though, he drew enough breath to say, “Thank you?” After a second, “What does it to?”

 

“At the moment? Essentially the same things it did last year. It is a passcode; you can scan your wrist to enter our facilities. Your apartment can also be outfitted to accept it.” He picked up Bogdan’s hand, and pushed his sleeve up. The places where his skin met Bogdan’s burned, and his pulse hammered in his throat. “The interesting thing is not what it does now, but what it can come to do.”

 

“What can it come to do?” The fingers of the hand Fedya wasn’t holding clenched and unclenched compulsively. He couldn’t think straight.

 

“As it becomes uniquely attuned to your biochemistry - your genetics, your hormones, the particular pattern of your neurons - it will become more sensitive. Of course, its fundamental function - a nearly-undetectable electromagnetic pulse at a certain frequency - won’t change. But it will become programmable to do it at any cue within your body, no matter how minute. Even a thought will be enough.”

 

Bogdan took a moment to slowly digest this, struggling to do so as Fedya’s thumb traced a slow circle on his wrist. “What happens if I say no?”

 

For a second, they both stopped moving. Stopped breathing. And then Fedya met Bogdan’s eyes, and a slow smile spread over his face, stopping just short of his eyes. “You know,” he said, slow. “You remind me of her. Irena was stubborn, too. Contrary for the sake of being contrary.” The thumb dug into Bogdan’s wrist, pressed on a vain, so hard that it ached down to the bone. “You won’t say no, because you won’t get another chance to be a part of something like this.”

 

* * *

 

 

He didn’t say no. A microchip, barely the size of a piece of glitter, was placed inside the delicate skin of his wrist. The bruising from the procedure overlapped with a bruise-blue thumbprint, stamped on him like a brand.

 


	2. Chapter 2

For a couple weeks, he tried not to tell anyone about the technology. It didn’t matter  _ that _ much, he told himself, and besides there weren’t really any applications outside of work. The handles of the labs are attuned to the signal, unlocking at his touch when he was authorized to access them, and the one time Fedya called him down to the biotech labs the elevator suddenly shows new floors on the state-of-the-art electric display when he goes to select it.

 

It wasn’t like he had a lot of time to see his friends, anyways. The hormone stimulation research project that he’d taken on was involved, and he often found himself at the office even when he wasn’t technically scheduled for the internship because some meeting or another couldn’t wait, or something had gone wrong, or he just needed to get reports in on a deadline. After a couple weeks, the fact that doors at his work just opened when he needed them to didn’t seem like an interesting topic of conversation.

 

It got a little weird when Fedya showed up in his labs again, though.

 

“Bogdan,” he said from behind him, and then smiled gently at the way he scrambled to stand up and look casual all at once. “Calm down. I’m just here to check on your research.”

 

“That, um, that doesn’t actually make me feel better,” Bogdan joked weakly. “Did I leave something out the weekly reports, or…?”

 

“You’re doing a… perfectly adequate job of handling it. Sit down.” He pushed at Bogdan’s shoulder, and Bogdan weakly followed the gesture back into his chair. Fedya stood in front of him, a little too close. “Fine, though, it wasn’t  _ just _ because I wanted to check in. It was related to the other project I have you working on.” He cast a glance around to the couple other scientists in the lab, and then trailed a hand down Bogdan’s arm in the motion of pulling away. His thumb just barely grazed Bogdan’s wrist. Goosebumps erupted all over his skin. “I have some benefits that go with it that I would like you to try out.”

 

“Oh,” Bogdan said weakly, rocking forward and then back again. On the other side of the lab, he could feel his coworkers eyes on him, and he both did and didn’t want them to see Fedya paying special attention to him like this.  “Like what?”

  
“Further applications of the technology, things that will help you outside of the office. Check your email, a full list of the benefits are laid out. I came to introduce you to one I helped develop personally, though.” He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and handed it over to Bogdan. “Take it.”

 

Bogdan blinked and reached out to take it, feeling unaccountably nervous. He knew, in an abstract sort of way, that the fragile technology he handled on a daily basis was more valuable than this phone, but it didn’t  _ feel _ as expensive as the sleek glass.

 

The screen displayed a message.  _ Hello, Bogdan Agohn.  _ “Oh,” Bogdan said. “This... is mine?” 

 

Pride didn’t dignify that with an answer. He continued in a low voice, “Pre-attuned to your implant, more secure than any scanner technology could ever be. Your hormonal signature, after all, is utterly unique to you.” He stepped away. “Just something to show my appreciation for how well the research is going. Keep it up, Mr. Agohn.”

 

“Right,” Bogdan said softly. As he looked at it, he thought,  _ So do I press on it to unlock, or - ? _ The screen unlocked. His heart jerked in shock, and he looked up to ask Fedya if it could.... read his thoughts, or…?

 

Fedya had walked away.

 

\---

 

He saw Ambra three days later, and of course she knew instantly.

 

“Right,” she said, the moment she stepped into Bogdan apartment. She sat down on his couch and leveled a look at him that left him with no choice except for sitting down just out of arm’s reach from her. In theory they were going to be doing a movie night, but the remote control was down by her, and she wasn’t moving. “What’s going on, Bogdan?”

 

“What’s - what?” he asked. “With…?”

 

“Don’t play dumb,” Ambra said firmly. “Your car didn’t have those locks last week. You don’t leave your apartment unlocked, but you didn’t  _ un _ lock it when you came up here, and it had a different handle from the rest of the hall. And you’re usually hidden in your phone half the night but you barely took it out tonight, so I’m guessing something’s up with that too.”

 

“Oh,” Bogdan said faintly. “You’re bringing this all up really… suddenly? I mean, nothing’s wrong.”

 

She stared at him a little longer. He shifted in his seat and glanced at the black television screen, wondering if she’d slap his hand away if he grabbed for the remote. “Does this have to do with your internship?”

 

Bogdan bit his lip. Took in a breath. “It’s just some new trial tech, that I’m helping with. Doing live tests, and stuff.”

 

“Right,” Ambra said slowly. “You look really nervous about it, if that’s all it is.”

 

“That’s all it is,” Bogdan said, because it  _ was _ , technically. He drew in a breath to say more, and then shut his mouth again.

 

“How’s your thesis coming?” Ambra said suddenly.

 

Bogdan cringed, suddenly wishing he  _ hadn’t _ let the subject change. At least his internship was going well, even if he couldn’t talk about most of it. His thesis, though…

 

“That bad, huh?” Ambra said, her voice at least amused rather than scolding.

 

“Ah, yeah,” Bogdan said, rubbing a hand behind his head. “It’s been, uh, well. I’m pretty behind, to be honest. I’ve been at my internship most days, and the research doesn’t overlap a lot, so…”

 

“You’re at your internship most days? It’s only supposed to be like, 10 hours a week,” Ambra said slowly. “Artie’s been helping me with research during office hours, even, sometimes. I mean, I get it if there’s not a lot of overlap, but…”

 

“Right, well, um,” Bogdan said. “The thing is, he has me - they have me working on a really big project. It’s really exciting! It’s about hormones and - er, well, I can’t really tell you much about it, but it’s really cool and I have a leading role in it, but it does mean that I’m - yeah - there. A lot.”

 

“A leading role?” Ambra said. She scooted forward. “Bogdan, I know that sounds exciting - it is exciting, you’re good at what you do - but you’ve got to graduate. If you fuck up your thesis, having a good internship isn’t going to help you much.”

 

“It might if I work at Pride after I graduate,” Bogdan pointed out, and then shut his mouth hard. He looked away from Ambra’s gaze.

 

Silence stretched. “Is that what you want?” She said finally.

 

“Maybe,” Bogdan said, meaning,  _ I don’t know and I’m scared of both answers _ . She looked at him like she understood.

 

“You wanna work on our theses instead of watch a movie?” Ambra offered, and at his furrowed brow, said, “You wanna work on our theses  _ and then _ watch a movie about Hollywood getting our fields of study ridiculously wrong?”

 

Bogdan burst out laughing, Ambra finally reached over and grabbed the remote, and he relaxed into the couch, feeling better than he had in weeks.

 

\--

 

He came into the office in the morning to find a new notification on his desktop.

 

_ Report to Lab F, 2pm. _

 

He opened the appointment, but found no further details. A glance at his team calendar showed that it was just him scheduled for it.

 

A low unease settled in his stomach, but he couldn’t quite bring himself to bother Fedya with questioning it. Instead he went through his workday absently rubbing at the scar on his wrist; in the weeks since the implant, it’d faded until it’s only visible to someone who’s looking for it. He knew the implant was nearly microscopic, and yet he could swear he could feel it, a tiny solid mass under his skin. It sent shivers down his spine every time, and the idea of anyone else poking at it was even more unsettling.

 

Still, when the time came around, he slipped out of the office and into the elevator; a scan of his wrist opened up floors that hadn’t been available earlier in the day, and he pressed the button for the labs with fingers that just barely shook.

 

Without Fedya there, the walk was more intimidating. Every door he passed was a small spike of anxiety; he couldn’t help but imagine somebody stepping out, seeing him, and immediately demanding to know what he - a lab tech intern who had been working here less than 6 months - was doing in what was clearly one of the most classified locations in the building.

 

It didn’t happen, and he reached Lab F, knocked, and discovered a whole new kind of anxiety when an unfamiliar voice from inside said “Come in, Bogdan.”

 

The setup of the lab wasn’t significantly different from before; mostly dominated by computer displays, the operating table was set up again, same as before. At the table, clicking rapidly through screens, was a woman he didn’t recognize. “Sit down,” she said, and he did, automatically, on the edge of the operating chair. “You’ll be getting the ear implant today.”

 

“I’ll be - sorry, um, what?” Bogdan said, startling. He hadn’t known anything about  _ another _ . “Is - is Fedya here?”

 

“He had a prior commitment, he asked to send you up once the procedure was completed.” She looked at him without sympathy. “Of course, if you have any questions, I’d be happy to answer them.”

 

“Oh,” Bogdan said, fainly. He rubbed at his ear and glanced at the screens. “Is it - what is it? He didn’t tell me anything.”

 

She rattled off without looking up from her screens, “It’s similar to the implant you already received, a companion to model A442. In addition to supplementing the identification capabilities that the chip already has, it will provide artificial intelligence services similar to those of home or mobile AI’s.”

 

“Oh,” Bogdan said again. He felt steamrolled, and like he badly wanted to say no to this, but how could he? He’d already agreed to being in the study, and this internship was the kind of opportunity other grad students dreamed about. Besides, even if the NDA’s kept him from publishing about this, the kind of things he could learn from this implant technology weren’t things that would be taught in a classroom anytime soon. “So, it’s like an… implanted Siri.”

 

The woman at the desk finally looked at him, to more effectively raise a critical eyebrow. “If Siri were 15 years more advanced and personalized exactly to your needs - yes. Somewhat like that.”

 

“Right,” Bogdan said faintly. “Right, ok.” He rubbed at his neck, trying to swallow past the tension. “Um, what do you need me to do?”

 

“Just lay back,” she said, standing up. She pulled the small stand full of operating supplies over and turned on a light that abruptly blinded him to the rest of the room. “It’s a fairly simple procedure. We’ll first need to calibrate it to implant A442.”

 

She grabbed his wrist without preamble and began to wipe it with iodine, pressing on the area where he could swear he could feel the implant. The sensation of it shifting under his skin made his stomach turn, and he curled forward instinctively to protect it. “Please lay back, Mr. Agohn.”

 

“Sorry,” he said faintly, forcing his spine to relax one degree at a time until he was pressed to the table, at a 45 degree angle. “Could you be, um, gentler? I think it’s still kind of sore.”

 

“Already finished,” she dismissed, pulling away to pull gloves onto her hands. “Hold still.”

 

She grabbed his wrist with one iron grasp, pinching the inside of his wrist and pressing what appeared to be a piece of paper to it with the other hand. He held his breath to force stillness, worried that the way his heart was pounding would interfere somehow. If she told him to calm down he might laugh at her. After a moment, a machine beeped, and he exhaled as she pulled away.

 

“All right,” she said. “We’re going to do the incision. It shouldn’t hurt more than a strong pinch, but unfortunately local anaesthetic interferes with the syncing process.”

 

“Okay,” Bogdan agreed. He pressed his palms into his legs; despite the fact that she hadn’t really  _ hurt _ him, his wrist still ached, a phantom pain that he couldn’t help but focus on. 

 

She pulled his hair back, businesslike, with a clip, and then leaned forward to examine the patch of skin under his ear. There was a pinch - a swipe - a press of something firm and warm, like a finger - and a second later, a spray of liquid against the site that made him jump. And she pulled away. The whole thing took less than ten seconds.

 

“Done,” she said, shutting off the light. “It should be coming online - “ She leaned over and pressed a key on the computer - “now. Can you hear it?”

 

A low, female voice sounded in his ear.  _ Hello, Bogdan Agohn _ .

 

“Oh,” Bogdan said, faintly. It was odd, but not much more so than having a bluetooth headphone in. The voice sounded perfectly clear. “Hello.”

 

_ My name is Ava. I’m your personal assistant. Would you like to calibrate me now, or use the default options? _

 

“Um,” Bogdan said. The awareness that the doctor definitely couldn’t hear who he was talking to made him self-conscious, but she didn’t seem bothered by it. Frankly, he already liked the voice better than her. “The default is fine for now.”

 

_ Understood. For the next 24 hours I will be calibrating with your identifying chip, A442. During that time period, please use auditory commands starting with “Ava” to address me _ .

 

“Um,” Bogdan said slowly. “And… after 24 hours?”

 

_ After 24 hours, I will begin to learn your habits and needs and adjust to your muscle memories. For example, if you check your email every day after arriving to work, I will be able to pull that up for you immediately _ .

 

“Oh,” Bogdan said faintly. “That… sounds fine.” He glanced at the researcher, who was watching some charts scroll past on a screen and thoroughly ignoring him as he talked to himself. “Can I go?”

 

“Yes, you’re done here,” the researcher said, at the same time that Ava said,  _ You have a call incoming from Fedya Konstantine, would you like me to put it through? _

 

Bogdan stood up, his hand pressed to his neck. He could barely feel the incision under the liquid bandage, and it was unsettling, as though Ava had slipped straight into his mind. “Um, sure,” he said, as he stepped out into the hallway.

 

“ _ Mr. Agohn” _ Fedya said warmly, as soon as the call connected. The voice was more intimate than just listening through the phone was, somehow, as though Fedya was speaking directly into his ear. “ _ I trust that the procedure went well? _ ”

 

“Yes,” Bogdan said unsteadily. “It didn’t take very long and it already seems active. But I, um, I didn’t know that there would be more?” He tried to sound assertive saying it, but the voice in his head - the natural one, not the artificial one - was screaming that he was talking to his  _ boss _ , his boss’s boss and the CEO of one of the largest biotech firms in the world echoed in his mind and it made his voice come out shaky. 

 

“ _ No _ ?” Fedya said warmly. “ _ You didn’t think a simple identification implant was all that we had in the works, did you? You’ve seen firsthand some of the cutting-edge tech that Pride is working on.” _

 

“Right, but, um, the stuff that I’m working on is nowhere near the experimental stage,” Bogdan said. “I didn’t know we  _ had _ anything like this that was near the experimental stages?”

 

“ _ It’s a prototype,” _ Fedya said, with the tone of an admission. “ _ One of the first in the world. But isn’t that what makes it exciting, Bogdan? _ ” Bogdan bit his tongue.  _ Should _ he be excited? He felt… overwhelmed, mostly. “ _ Come up to my office. I want to see it for myself _ .”

 

All at once his heart rate picked up again. He had the stupid urge to check his reflection in one of the clouded windows that he was passing, but of course he couldn’t; he just got a glimpse of his flushed face in the polished chrome of the elevator as it arrived. “Oh! Sure. Right.”

 

“ _ I look forward to it, _ ” Fedya murmured, sending shivers down Bogdan’s spine, before the call disconnected. 

 

The elevator arrived as he walked up to it, without being called - or maybe it had been called, he just hadn’t been the one to call it? Telling himself that his trepidation was stupid, he stepped into the elevator, and turned as the doors closed behind him and the floors began to tick up, and up, and up, smooth and unstoppable. 

 

When it arrived on the executive suite, Bogdan was struggling to keep his heart rate steady. He was tugging at his clothes, which weren’t exactly up to snuff for a meeting with the CEO; he’d thought it was just a regular day in the lab, after all. His sweater was a little loose on him and he could  _ feel _ that his face was still flushed a little red, and his neck ached steadily. Still, he tried to hold his head high as he stepped out of the elevator, through the waiting room, and into Fedya’s spartan office. “Hi - good afternoon,” Bogdan said.

 

“Mr. Agohn,” Fedya said, not sounding quite as warm as he had over the phone. “Ava, please shut the door.”

 

_ Understood _ , Ava said, and she sounded no different to when Bogdan had been talking to her - he didn’t  _ think _ she was audible to the rest of the room - but nonetheless the door to the office closed behind Bogdan with a sturdy click.

 

Before Bogdan could ask any questions about that, Fedya was already up and crossing the room to him, meeting Bogdan just in front of the desk. “So, did things go smoothly? You can hear her clearly?”

 

“Y-yes,” Bogdan stammered, his blush returning and intensifying as Fedya leaned in to examine his neck. “She even responded to you?”

 

“Only regarding interfacing with the building’s automated systems,” Fedya dismissed. “Coded for my voice, to this building. Was the procedure painful?” Along with those words, he stepped further into Bogdan’s personal space. This close, Bogdan could smell his cologne, something sultry and unthinkably expensive. Bogdan’s skin was burning hot, and it made Fedya’s fingertips feel cool against his skin as they pressed to the bandaged incision. 

 

“Not -” Bogdan choked. Fedya was so close, closer even than he’d been last time. Half a step more forward and Fedya would be pressed to him, and he was leaning in, to get a better look.  _ He’s interested in the tech _ , Bogdan told himself sternly. He was  _ sure _ that Fedya could see his pulse hammering. “Not really!” His voice came out a little breathy, and he swore that he could feed Fedya chuckle in response by the puff of air against his neck.

 

“Excellent,” Fedya said. “Of course let us know if there are any side effects at all. You’ll be submitting reports on the functionality, same as with the previous implant.” The businesslike words were said directly into Bogdan’s ear as Fedya leaned in closer. “It has a variety of functionalities, I encourage you to explore them. For example- Ava, what is Mr. Agohn’s current heart rate?”

 

_ Your current heart rate is 128. You seem stressed, _ Ava observed. Bogdan let out a choked laugh, because  _ you think _ ?

 

“She told you?” Fedya murmured. “Incredible. I heard just a faint noise. The privacy that such technology allows... nearly as private as your own thoughts, yes?”

 

“Yeah,” Bogdan said. Fedya was still so  _ close _ to him and moving in closer, breath steady against his neck. His knees were getting weak, and when one of Fedya’s hands came up to cup the back of Bogdan’s neck, he had to lean against the desk or lose his balance. Fedya followed him, and Bogdan finally chanced a glance at the CEO. His eyes were dark and fixed on Bogdan - on his neck, specifically. He looked…  _ hungry _ . 

 

_ He could be a vampire _ , Bogdan thought, with a note of hysteria, and then Fedya leaned in and kissed his neck, just below the implant.

 

It hit him like an ignition point. The arousal that had been simmering under his skin as Fedya examined it  _ roared _ into something that left him weak and fuzzy, his hands coming up to grab onto Fedya’s hips without thought. His head went back, neck more exposed than before, stretching the skin of the incision and making it  _ burn _ but he didn’t care. Fedya kissed again, just below the same point, and again, working his way down to the juncture of Bogdan’s neck, and then slowly sucking at that point just under his collar. Bogdan nearly collapsed onto the desk, his dick already twitching to life.

 

When the skin on his neck had just passed into the point of pain, Fedya pulled back to kiss back up his neck. One hand grabbed the back of his neck to guide him until he was leaned backwards over the desk, the other hand steadying Fedya over Bogdan. He wasn’t flushed, but his pupils were blown wide and his mouth was red and slick. “Amazing,” Fedya said, eyes still unable to leave his neck, but when he leaned down this time his mouth met Bogdan’s. 

 

Bogdan’s arms came up without his permission to wrap around Fedya, regardless of the slight tremble in his muscles. Pride’s answering grasp in his hair, holding his head in place and moving it to match Fedya’s kisses, made him shiver. Their hips pressed together for the first time, and Bogdan moaned into Fedya’s mouth, on  _ fire _ and trying not to come from a couple minutes of dry-humping on a metal desk. 

 

_ This is insane, _ Bogdan thought, panicked. He looked around the office that he’d been in half a dozen times over the last couple weeks, found it looks completely different when horizontal. Had the shelves at the edge of the room always been so tall? Was this a dream?

 

“I do hope I’m not boring you,” Fedya said from above him, in the middle of undoing Bogdan’s work trousers.

 

Bogdan jumped at the sensation, and gasped, “No,” and then, “I mean, you’re not - I’m just, um, trying to,” and then he couldn’t think of anything to say that wasn’t horribly humiliating, like  _ decide if this is real, _ or  _ figure out when you started wanting me too, _ or  _ not come in my pants before you get them off _ .

 

He decided to just say nothing.

 

“Well,” Fedya said. The clasp of Bogdan’s pants came undone, and he pulled them down with his briefs, leaving Bogdan bare in the middle of his desk. It should have been awkward and it was, a little, but it was also achingly, desperately hot. “Don’t let me distract you from… trying?”

 

“Okay,” Bogdan gasped, flustered as Fedya reached down and pressed a hand to his dick, which jumped in his hand. His head thumped back against the desk as he tried hard to think of, of the experiment he’d done earlier today or the pain of getting the implant in, except that made him think of Fedya kissing it better and oh fuck. “I’m - um.”

 

“Sensitive,” Fedya observed. “I thought you might be.” The idea that Fedya’d thought  _ anything _ about him made Bogdan twitch again, thoughts turning to static. He ran his fingers up Bogdan’s shaft and chuckled a little when Bogdan’s back arched. He drew away then, and Bogdan quickly looked down to make sure that Fedya hadn’t decided that actually he  _ wasn’t _ really about needy, high strung interns.

 

Fedya was working at his pants - not pulling them down, but opening the buttons at the front to pull himself out. Bogdan’s whole body shivered at the sight of Fedya standing over him, immaculate three-piece suit and stroking his dick to hardness over a disheveled Bogdan. “A shame,” Fedya said, low, “that I don’t have time to do this properly.”

 

“Do - what?” Bogdan said. When Fedya leaned over him, he arched up so that Fedya’s dick rubbed against his own and sparks flew down his spine. 

 

“To fuck you,” Fedya answered. He reached down to lift Bogdan’s leg and pressed it upwards until it burned, to make room for himself between Bogdan’s legs. “Next time, then.” He teased against delicate skin, against Bogdan’s ass. Bogdan rocked desperately against him. 

 

Fedya groaned when Bogdan pressed back. The hand that wasn’t holding Bogdan’s leg up reached to grab Bogdan by the neck, manicured nails digging into the space around the implant. At the same moment he rocked forward, a single hot surge against Bogdan that knocked the breath out of him. “Oh,” Bogdan gasped, and choked on the pressure on his neck. “Oh - “

 

“Can you feel it?” Fedya’s fingers dug into the implant, pushing at it, lighting up Bogdan’s nerves with sharp pain. “Feel it inside of you -” He thrust forward, alongside Bogdan but he  _ ached _ with the desire to have him inside. 

 

Bogdan babbled something approving, something good and Fedya thrust forward again and again, rubbing them against each other, bending Bogdan’s leg until it hurt and he groaned. “Hurts,” he gasped.

 

“Good,” Fedya responded, and bent him further. Bogdan let out a whine and thumped his head against the desk as his thigh  _ burned _ . “I want you to feel it tomorrow.” Oh, fuck. “I want you to limp around your lab, I want you to walk into this building and  _ feel _ me-” He lost his words then, dissolving into gasps as he pressed forward again, again, again, and then he slipped and  _ pressed _ against Bogdan, too tight to slip inside but  _ there _ and Bogdan’s mind went white and hot and blank.

 

He held onto impressions with his fingertips, Fedya pulling back from him and stripping himself hard and fast over Bogdan’s torso, pressing forward and hissing possessive words as he finished, so blazing hot that it left afterimages all over Bogdan’s body.

 

When he finally released Bogdan’s leg it collapsed back, cramping. The afterglow of his orgasm took the edge of the pain but he still flinched. “I’m definitely going to feel it tomorrow,” he said, half-joking, opening his eyes a sliver.

 

Fedya had already pulled himself back together, but he was smiling indulgently down at Bogdan. “Good,” Fedya murmured. “You’re going to need to get that suit cleaned, too.”

 

Bogdan looked down at himself and his face flared with heat; his shirt was a mess of come and sweat, wrinkled. His neck ached in a way that suggested it might be bruised, too. “Oh,” he said faintly. “I, um.” His mind raced over the path from this office down to his car, and back to his apartment, and felt a little panicked.

 

“Come back to my apartment,” Fedya said. He pulled Bogdan up off his desk, and Bogdan scrambled awkwardly to pull his pants back up. When he finally succeeded, Fedya leaned forward and kissed him, slowly. “My car is at the bottom of the elevator, right outside the doors. We can get it dry-cleaned and… see what I can show you about your implant.”

 

“Right,” Bogdan gasped. Go back to Fedya’s apartment? He’d never even seen him outside of work. (He immediately felt like an idiot with that thought. They weren’t  _ dating _ , Fedya obviously wasn’t going to be seen with him outside of work.) “Ok?”

 

“Good.” Fedya said. He leaned forward again, to speak into the tender skin on Bogdan’s neck. His breath still burned. “Ava, give Bogdan access to the executive level of the garage and key my locks to his biosignature.”

 

_ Synchronization complete _ , Ava said promptly. It felt ... strange, to have her voice there, right next to Fedya. Invasive. “Lovely, isn’t she,” Fedya said, and then pulled away entirely. “I have a couple more things to take care of. Wait for me in the car.” Fedya turned and walked out, shutting the door firmly behind himself.

 

Bogdan leaned against the desk and caught his breath, head swimming. He could leave, right now. He could go to his own car, make the walk of shame back to his own apartment and… probably get fired from his internship the next day, for ghosting the CEO. He could text Fedya apologizing. He could lie and say something came up.

 

He could go to Fedya’s apartment and let the man take care of him.

 

On unsteady legs, he walked out of the executive offices and rode the elevator down to Fedya’s BMW.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fite

**Author's Note:**

> to be continued
> 
> Merry Christmas, Shad


End file.
